Ashamed Of Myself
by raw talent
Summary: Bee is graffitied by a bunch of lads while Sam is in school. He flees and ends up hurting his friend. Sam turns to Ratchet for help.


Woo! Another short story from me, hope you like it folks. Please send a review, I'm dying to know what you think! Thanks xox

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Most Autobots find it hard to show their expression through their faces, so they tend to use physical actions such as sulking or hugging. In this case, it was Bumblebee who was feeling emotional. During school he stayed in his Camaro state, parked in the same spot in the same car park. But today while Sam was in his last lesson of the day, some jerk and his buddies had decided to graffiti the poor Camaro, obviously targeting Sam. Not being able to react since he was in broad day light, Bumblebee could only watch in dismay as the group of boys started to spray paint the words "Dickhead" and "Loser" onto his perfect yellow paint. One decided that it was appropriate to spray Bee's black racing stripes pink, but just as he clambered onto the car's roof, Bumblebee reacted, this was all too much for him. He set his alarm off and swung open his doors, sending 2 of the vandals flying. In a state of shock, they took off and just as the last one was out of site, the bell rang for the end of the school day. 

Sam was thrilled. He'd managed to ache one of his Geography tests, earning a B+. Packing everything away but his marked paper, he set off to meet his yellow Camaro, eyes glued to the comments his teacher had written on the paper. As he walked off the last step of the school, he looked up to see a large group of people around one spot in the car park. The spot where Bumblebee parked. He gasped, running over to the crowd. As he got closer he heard loud laughter, comments about spray paint and something about criminals.

"Oh god, Bee!" He muttered. All sorts of negative images went through his mind as he pushed through the group of people.

"Excuse me" "Coming through!" "MOVE IT!"

"Watch it buddy" Came a voice. He turned his head to see who it was when he was pushed through the front of the crowd. Turning around, he gasped. His eyes widened and he swore his heart stopped for a brief moment. His paper floated through the air, slowly making its way to the floor. There was Bumblebee, both doors swung wide open, lights flashing, graffitied. He stared at the one visible word sprayed onto his poor car and then suddenly filled with anger. Turning to the crowd, he began to yell.

"What are you looking at!? GET LOST!" The group of people separated, some graced him by sticking up their fingers at him cursing. He glared at them until they we almost out of hearing distance, then turning the Bumblebee he knelt down on the floor and touched the paint of one word.

"Oh god, Bee.. I'm so sorry"

Bumblebee shook slightly, closing his doors and turning off the alarms before letting out a low whine. Sam knew Bumblebee was hurt. He felt his heart go out to the Autobot. His pride had been shattered and it would take ages for him to get over something like this.

"Come on, if we get home soon i can clean this off before it dries" Sam made a move to open the drivers' door, but just as his fingers touched the handle, Bumblebee's door locked.

"Please Bee? I know you're upset, but we need to get home now if you don't you'll need to-"

Sam was cut off by the sound of an engine starting up. But knowing what his friend was about to do, he rushed in front of the Camaro and leaned right over the bonnet, placing his hands near the wipers.

"Bee come on! I can help you!"

But he didn't expect his friends next actions. Bumblebee lifted up his hood and flipped Sam into the air and straight over him. Sam landed awkwardly on his right arm, yelling as a shooting pain shot through his shoulder. Bumblebee then honked his horn and sped off, leaving a shocked and extremely worried Sam in the school car park. Sam watched as Bumblebee turned sharply round a corner and out of sight. He sighed. He wasn't mad at Bumblebee, but wondered if his guardian meant to hurt him or not. He got up a little too fast, another shooting pain shot through him and he winced while trying to stand. He picked up his paper using his unhurt arm and crumpled it into his pocked. He began to walk the journey home, knowing exactly where he was going first. He needed to find Ratchet.

Ratchet let out the equivalent noise to a human sigh. Ironhide had been in an accident recently, running into a power line while trying to escape a loose shi tzu. It was surprising that nobody had seen him. Either he was good at keeping hidden or humans were just oblivious. Whatever the case, the power line had fried his vocal processor, making him sound like a squeaky dog, much to his dismay. He had sulked for days before finally letting Ratchet fix it which didn't take long, seeing as he had discovered how to repair Bumblebee. Now that the Autobots had settled on Earth, he now had his own warehouse where he stored all of his tools and spent most of his time. This was thanks to Sam, Captain Lennox and plenty of persuading. The warehouse was located in an abandoned car factory, 10 minutes from Sam's house. He was just about to leave when he felt a presence behind him.

"Ironhide if that's you and you've damaged you're processors again. You're going to have to wait until tomorrow if you want them repaired"

He turned round and to his surprise he saw Sam standing in the doorway. What surprised him even more was that Sam was covered in dust and dirt and clutching his right shoulder and Bumblebee was nowhere to be found.

"Sam?! What happened to you?" Ratchet bent down to Sam's level and instantly noticed that the boy's shoulder was badly hurt. He scanned Sam, his heart rate and pulse were double what they should be and he began to worry.

"No, don't worry about me. It's Bumblebee you need to be worried about" Sam said, slightly out of breath

"What's happened? How did you get in that state?" Ratchet demanded

"I don't know the whole story.. but when i came out of school i found Bumblebee graffitied and surrounded by people who were pointing and staring. When they all went away i tried to convince him to go home so i could fix him up but he just took off"

"I see. But that still doesn't explain your injury" Ratchet looked at him expectantly

"Oh uh.. it was Bee"

Ratchet froze and Sam started to feel nervous as he watched Ratchet tense up and grow angry.

"How could Bumblebee do this?" Ratchet shouted "He has totally elimated his trusted position as your guardian! When Optimus finds out he'll-"

"Oh no, no no let's try and avoid talking to him. It's not Bee's fault. I mean, he's feeling upset, hurt and ashamed. Just think about it, how would you feel if you had vile words spray painted all over you?"

"I know what you mean Sam, but it was still unacceptable for him to hurt you and you still have not told me how you were injured"

"I-er um.. I was leaning over Bee's bonnet when he flipped me into the air then sped off.."

Ratchet let out a low groan before standing back up.

"But please! You cannot tell Optimus. I beg you, i don't want Bee to get into trouble. I need to find him."

"Yes yes, but before you do, let me at least fit you with a sling? You need to keep that shoulder still otherwise you will sustain further damage"

"Yes. Right. Ok"

Sam found it amusing how Ratchet took special care in getting the size of the sling right. He also noticed that Ratchet acted very motherly when looking after an injured being. He fussed over him constantly and asking him couple of minutes "Are you sure you're ok with just a sling?". It was sort of motherly.

"Thanks Ratch" Sam smiled as the bot finished

"Anytime" Ratchet replied, watching as the boy headed for the doorway "Wait Sam!"

Sam turned around, giving him a questioning look

"Do you want a lift?"

Sam thought about it for a moment. He had never ridden in any of the other Autobots and felt a little unsure, plus he was worried about how Bumblebee would react if he found out. Come to think of it, it was only Bumblebee who he had ridden in.

"Sam?"

"Huh? Oh yeh ok"

"Are you sure? My sensors tell me that you are feeling very uneasy"

"Yes. Come on, let's get going" Sam watched as Ratchet transformed into his ambulance state. He opened the drivers door and Sam got inside quickly. Buckling up, he let Ratchet take control of the driving. It felt strange driving in Ratchet. For one thing, Bumblebee would often speed off at about 80mph. But Ratchet kept the speedometer on 40mph.

"I've picked up Bumblebee. He's on the overlook. I've set a course to take us straight there" Ratchets low voice echo'd through the ambulance. That was another thing. Bumblebee never spoke directly. He always used a song from a radio station as a clever come back.

Eventually they got there. Under the single large oak tree on the overlook sat Bumblebee in his robot state. Sam undid his seat belt a little too fast, the elastic contracted and the metal clip came into contact with his shoulder. He let out a yelp and winced as a sharp pain went through his arm.

"Please be careful Sam. Any more damage to you arm could lead to surgery"

"Yeah, sorry Ratch" Sam wasn't sure how, but as he had yelped he felt Ratchet grow tenser. He opened the door and jumped out. He walked slowly up to the tree. He stopped a few feet away from Bumblebee's right leg and looked up at him.

"Bee?"

Bumblebee hesitated at first, but turned his head slowly and looked at Sam. Sam felt his mouth drop slightly. He could see the pained expression on his guardians face and it hurt to see him this way. Bumblebee suddenly turned his attention to his humans shoulder and when he realized how it had got that way, his optics widened and he shuffled away from him.

"Bee? What's wrong?" Sam stepped forward towards his guardian. Bumblebee stood up this time, towering over Sam.

"Your shoulder. It's badly damaged and it's all my fault"

"It doesn't matter about my shoulder Bee. It doesn't even hurt that much" He lied, trying to make Bee feel better

"Not true. I heard you yell when you impacted with the ground earlier and when you were inside Ratchet"

Sam was stuck there, trapped. He didn't know how to react other than to look away. The atmosphere was getting uncomfortable.

"I hurt you Sam"

"No Bee" He looked back to his guardian "It's ok. You didn't mean to, you-"

"I've betrayed you as your guardian and as your friend Sam. How can you say everything is ok when it clearly isn't?"

"Because you were vandalized Bee! You were feeling hurt and distraught and by the way this conversation is going it sounds like you still are"

A few moments passed before Bumblebee spoke up again.

"You're right" He flopped to the ground into a seating position, sending trembles through the earth "But i shouldn't of flipped you over me that way. I don't what came over me. I just wanted to get away from everything" He lifted up his hands and buried his face in them, a human trait he had picked up from Sam.

Sam walked up to Bumblebee and stood directly under his chin. He reached up and touched the bottom of his guardians hand. Bumblebee slowly removed his hands and looked down at his human.

"Sam, I'm so sorry" It was times like this when Bumblebee wished could cry.

"It doesn't matter Bee. It's in the past and anyway. I forgave you a long time ago" Sam smiled.

He walked up to his guardians abdomen and attempted to give him a one armed hug. Bumblebee got the message and picked up Sam, stood up, and headed towards Ratchet who has remained silent through their whole conversation. Ratchet transformed and stood in front of the pair.

"I have some suitable spray paint back at the warehouse if you wish to return there Sam"

"Yes definately. Thanks Ratch"

Ratchet nodded and proceeded to transform back into his vehicle. Bumblebee put his hand to the ground and Sam stepped off. He then transformed and carefully opened the drivers door. Sam got in and did up his belt. Ratchet set off, Bumblebee following closely behind, taking extra care to avoid any bumps in the road that might hurt Sam. Sam noticed his actions and couldn't help but smile and relax into the leather. Bumblebee's continuous engine hum felt somewhat soothing. He let out a happy sigh and looked out the window. It was getting dark and the city lights had started to come on. They looked marvoulous. The 20 minute drive to the warehouse flew by and soon Sam found himself thanking Ratchet once again for the paint and getting back into his beloved car. As Bumblebee halted on the Witwicky's drive, the radio suddenly came to life.

"Sorry about all this fuss old chap"

Sam chuckled and shook his head.

"I've already told you Bee, it wasn't your fault"

The car let out a protestant whine which just ended up making Sam laugh as he got out.

"Alright then. I'll be right back. Need a bucket of hot soapy water and a sponge" Sam smiled as he fumbled in his pocket with his free hand for his house keys. After he watched his human dissapear inside, Bumblebee groaned. He noticed a light dent on his bonnet where Sam had leaned and shuddered as he remember the impact the boy had made with the ground. Sam came outside a few minutes later carrying a bucket in one hand and a large sponge under the same arm.

"Sorry for the wait Bee. Mum freaked out when she saw my arm. I had to tell her i had a tumble at school and the nurse patched me up. But then she insisted on calling a doctor and i had to convice her out of that"

He sighed, placing the objects next Bee's wheel.

"Anyway, lets get you cleaned up eh?"

Bumblebee rumbled his engine in agreement, making Sam smile. It felt good to be talking with Bee again. He dipped the sponge in the bucket, soaking up as much soapy water as he could. Then started to work on the large word marked over Bee's car door. Much to his relief the paint started to come away, most of it anyway.

"Hey Bee, most of this stuff is coming off. Looks like you wont need to be completely repainted after all"

Bumblebee replied with a low squeak.

Sam took his time on the first word, trying to get as much as possible off his guardian. He felt satisfied. only a few stubborn marks remained so he dropped the sponge in the bucket, picked up the bucket by the handle and moved round the the other side of Bee where the vile written on his car stretched for longer. It took him longer to get most of the paint off, but in the end there wasn't much left.

"Since I've got most of the paint off, i think i should might as well give you a complete rub down. Is that ok bee?"

Bumblebee tuned his radio into a sound of a crowd cheering and applauding.

"Gotcha" Sam smiled. As his human started the clean his front window, Bumblebee switched to another radio channel.

"I've been down so low people lift me and they know. They can tell something is wrong, like I don't belong"

"Something up Bee?" Sam asked, moving to clean behind a wing mirror

"Staring though a window, standing outside there just to happy to care tonight. Wanna be like them, but I'll mess it up again"

"If this is about the incident earlier, I've already told you Bee I-" Sam was interrupted by his car turning up the volume

"I tricked my way in got kicked outside, everybody saw. And i know that it's a wonderful world but i can't feel it right now. Well i thought that i was doing well but i just wanna cry now. Well i know that it's a wonderful world, from the, sky down to the sea. But i can only see it when you're here, here with me"

Sam smiled, feeling his cheeks flush slightly

"I missed you too Bee"

Bumblebee let out a low hum through the rest of the cleaning, enjoying the contact. When Sam finished, he stepped back and admired his handy work.

"I'll just go and get the hose" He said while tipping the contents of the bucket into the grass. Leaving the sponge in the bucket, he went inside and came back shortly holding the coil of long thick plastic. He unraveled it attached one end to the tap and turned it on. Water came blasting out of the open end, scaring bumblebee and actually making him jump slightly. Sam ran over grabbing the end of the hose, getting slightly wet.

"Sorry about that Bee" He said, before pointing it over his guardian and slowly washing off the rest of the soapy bubbles. Bumblebee shivered, sending water flying everywhere, all over Sam.

"Ah! Bee!" Sam laughed. Bee let out a noise that sounded like a snort and he continued to spray the water over the vehicle. Once he was done he left the hose on the floor, letting it go wild for a brief moment before he reached the tap and halted the water supply. Bumblebee shook like a wet dog, managing to get Sam again even though they were a fair distance apart.

"Oi!" Sam smirked "Look at me, I'm wetter than you are!" He chuckled. At least Bee was dry now. He could apply the layers of spray paint and then it would be over and done.

Picking up the yellow canister, Sam walked over to Bee and bent down to look at how much paint he needed. Seeing as the marks were small, he had more than enough.

"I'm going to start painting ok Bee?" and with that, my pressed lightly on the top of the canister and erased all sight of the horrible paint. He went over to the other side of Bee and did the same, then repeated his process twice. He was sure 3 layers of the paint would be enough. Any more and it would look uneven.

"There. All better now. You even look as good as new" Sam smiled. Dropping the paint canister in the bucket, he lifted it up and took it inside. Then came back for the hose. By the time he came out Bumblebee was no longer a car. He was stood up, checking all of the parts Sam has painted. Sam walked down the drive and stopped a few feet before Bee.

"Is everything ok? The paint isn't too eneven is it?"

"No Sam. It's perfect. Thank you"

"You're welcome and you know what? My arm's starting to feel better. Maybe we can go out for a drive tomorrow?"

"Sure" Bee said. He bent down and picked up Sam gently. Then held him carefully against is chest plate in his version of a hug. Sam happily returned it, feeling glad that they were friends again.

"Sam?"

"What is it Bee?"

"I have picked up the people who vandalized me earlier on my sensors. They're heading this way. If they attempt to spray words on me again, may i 'teach them a lesson'?"

Sam laughed at Bee's choice of words

"Of course you can. Just don't let them hurt you ok?" He said seriously

Bee nodded putting Sam down on the ground. Sam walked inside as Bee transformed back into a car and sat in his living room, peeping from behind the curtain. He secretly wished that they would attempt to paint him again, just so he could see Bee's reaction.

"Well look here.." The small group of boys had just reached Sam's drive. The one who spoke up Sam recognized as Trent. He wasn't surprised. "Looks like Witwicky went to all this trouble just to clean his car" He smirked, taking out a can from his pocket "Let's see how he feels when we spray twice as much. This Camaro won't ever be clean again" The group of boys behind him cheered. Bumblebee wasn't going to just sit there and let them spray all over him again. Not after all Sam's hard work. As they made their way up the drive, he transformed into his robotic state. He glared down at them. One dropped his can in shock and fell to the floor. The others gasped and started to back away.

"It was a fatal mistake to vandalize me. But what is this.. you came back to attempt it again? You will regret making that decision" Bumblebee growled, transforming his hand into an all powerful cannon then aiming it at them.

The whole group shrieked and fled down the road with the one who had fallen over lagging behind. Bumblebee turned to the window where he knew Sam was watching and moved his facial gears as best he could into a smile. Sam caught on and nodded. Bumblebee then changed back to his car state and powered down for the night.

Sam smiled as he walked away from the window.

"God, i love my car"


End file.
